Beyblade Season 3 and a half
by Sol Kage
Summary: Taking place in between the World Tournament Saga and the BEGA Saga of the 3rd Season. A mysterious blader named Dark has appeared, and the return of Voltaire has the Bladebreakers worried about what may occur during the next World Tournament...
1. Chapters 1, 2 and 3

Author's Notes: I wrote this after the World Tournament Saga in Season 3, before the BEGA saga began. Why am I only posting it now? I showed it to my girlfriend one day and she said I should and told me about this site, which I didn't really know existed till now. I decided to add Dizzy in this, despite her not being in Season 3, or in the original Japanese, mainly because I kind of liked her. I'm still contemplating on if Hilary will make an appearance, as I was never very fond of her. But that brings me to my next point. As you can tell, this isn't completed. If people would like to see this story continued, let me know in your reviews, and I will continue to write chapters. That's all for now, and I hope you enjoy my own Season of Beyblade.

**BEYBLADE SEASON 3.5**

**EPISODE 1: SHATTERED BEGINNINGS**

At Tyson's house, he lay there sleeping as the night was still young. Tyson may have been the Beyblade World Champion, but he did not know what lay in store for him…

A figure cloaked in black stood outside Tyson's house, on top of a pole, looking down at Tyson. His voice came sinister and cruel, "Tyson…" He then lifted his arms and revealed his launcher and a blade that was all black. He then let it rip as the blade went crashing through Tyson's window.

Tyson awoke with a start, as the dark blade started to circle around him. "What's going on?!" He cried out, grabbing his own blade. When he was about to unleash his Dragoon, the dark blade went back through the window and into the hands of the dark figure. Tyson saw the figure just before it vanished into the night. "Wait!" He cried out, but then he gasped in shock as he saw that the dark blade had made a message in his floor.

"MEET ME IN THE PARK, BRING YOUR BLADE" Tyson read out. Tyson then smacked his head, "Great! Now not only do I not get my beauty sleep but I also have to clean the floor!"

Meanwhile in the park, the figure cloaked in black had now lowered his hood as he waited for Tyson. His hair was pure black and so were his eyes. His skin was pale, maybe a bit too pale. He held his blade in his hand, looking at his Bit Beast that craved battle. After a while, Tyson finally arrived on the scene.

"So you've called me out? You actually want to take on the World Champion? Just who are you anyways!" Tyson yelled out to the man.

"My name is… Dark. I've called you out, Tyson, because you are not worthy to be World Champion. I will prove that fact to you," Dark said confidently.

"You really think you can beat me?! I'm the best and I'll prove THAT fact to you!" Tyson said, now more riled then ever.

"Heh… so young… so much to learn. Are you ready Tyson?" Dark said, at the ready as he put his blade into his launcher.

"You bet! Prepare for the beating of your lifetime!" Tyson said, getting anxious. He then took his Dragoon out and put it into his launcher.

"3…2…1… Let it Rip!" They both announced as they launched their blades.

"Go Dragoon!" Tyson yelled.

"Go Shadow Lord!" Dark yelled.

The blades then crashed into each other in mid air. A wave of power surged outwards, causing Tyson to stumble a bit. Dark seemed unfazed, his expression was completely blank as he showed no emotion.

"Go on the attack Dragoon! Finish it quickly!" Tyson yelled out as he unleashed a series of powerful attacks upon Shadow Lord. Shadow Lord did nothing but sit there, taking blow after blow. "Is that the best you can do? Was that first attack it?" Tyson said, feeling confident. Dark's expression remained the same, his head was down slightly as if he was either accepting defeat or just watching the battle more closely. "Dragoon! Finish it! Hyper Turbo Tornado Attack!" Dragoon emerged from Tyson's Blade and a tornado appeared from the blade and started circling around Shadow Lord. Shadow Lord went up and up and up. What comes up, must come down though and when the tornado ended, Shadow Lord came crashing down… but it landed perfectly fine and was still spinning. "What?! That's not possible! That's it! Full power!" Tyson went all out in one final attack as he came crashing towards Shadow Lord. Right before his blade hit Shadow Lord, Dark lifted his head, a flash of red came from his eyes, and a glow surrounded Shadow Lord for that brief second. When Tyson's blade hit Shadow Lord, instead of Shadow Lord going flying it actually shattered Dragoon into many pieces instead! Tyson fell to his knees, not being able to figure out what just happened. "But…when…how?" Tyson muttered, grasping the Bit part of his Beyblade as he stared down at the Dragoon that failed him.

Dark then finally spoke, "How disappointing, I expected a little more then that from you… your mind is too clouded with pride. I hardly used any power at all in that assault. If your wondering what just happened, you didn't really think I was just sitting there and letting you hit me did you? Shadow Lord stored all that power and then unleashed it in one shot as you came at Shadow Lord at full power. A fatal mistake. That was only about 10 percent of Shadow Lord's true power," Dark then picked up his blade which was still spinning fast, "Until the next time we meet, unworthy adversary…" Dark then put up his hood and walked away.

"No!!! Why?!!!" Tyson yelled out, still not being able to fathom what went wrong as his blade lay shattered in pieces……

**EPISODE 2: OLD FRIENDS**

As Kenny, the expert Beyblade engineer, came running up to Tyson's house, he saw Tyson's grandpa training outside.

"Hey Grandpa, is Tyson home?" Kenny asked.

"The home boy is up holed in his room yo! He seems major bummed out about something though. Give him the good word K-dog!" Grandpa said to Kenny.

"Will do Gramps," Kenny said as he ran inside the house.

Tyson sat there hunched over, his back to the door. He was completely oblivious to Kenny's entrance.

"Uh… Tyson?" Kenny said softly. However there was no response so Kenny spoke more loudly, "TYSON!!!"

"What is it already?!" Tyson yelled out as he got up and turned around to face Kenny, "Oh, sorry Kenny…" Tyson then looked down at the ground again, staring at his hand.

"Is something wrong? Your Grandpa said you were upset about something…" Kenny asked.

"It's just that… well, see for yourself…" Tyson then showed him a small bag that was in the hand he was staring at and emptied it on the floor. Dragoon's pieces fell to the floor.

"Oh no! But how?! That was your Dragoon Galaxy Turbo!" Kenny said in disbelief.

"I know… I don't know how it happened either… but this guy named Dark challenged me and beat me without… without even breaking a sweat! He made me look like child's play! He even… He even called me unworthy!!!" Tyson yelled out his frustration.

Kenny was looking through the parts looking to see if they were salvageable. Finally he spoke, "Well at least Dragoon is still in one piece, but most of the blade is beyond repair I'm afraid… he really did a number on you. It's too bad I wasn't there for the battle, then I could have had Dizzy do a scan to see what this Dark guy was like," Kenny said calmly.

"Have you ever even heard of a Blader called Dark?" Tyson asked.

"Well… I've heard rumors of a dark Blader that has been going around and destroying top contenders… where he came from is a complete mystery though," Kenny explained.

"Does this mean he could go after Max, Ray and Kai as well?" Tyson asked, now a bit worried.

"It's a strong possibility…" Kenny said.

"Well then, let's go!!!" Tyson yelled as he grabbed Kenny's arm and started dragging him out the door.

"Wait, what are we doing?!" Kenny screamed.

"Were going to warn them before their blades get totally trashed too!" Tyson explained in his usual confident manner.

"Do you even know where they are?!" Kenny asked.

Tyson then stopped, a blank expression on his face, "Oh…yeah, that could help…" Kenny then fell over. "Well we have to start somewhere! We just have to look for them!" Tyson announced as he ran out the door.

"Kiyah!" Tyson's Grandpa came crashing down with his wooden sword on Tyson's head from out of nowhere as Tyson got outside.

"Grandpa! I don't have time for this now!" Tyson said annoyed.

"Word up, home-g! Where you going?" Grandpa asked.

"I'm going to go and find my friends!" Tyson said, now more annoyed.

"No need to do that! Your homies are already here!" Grandpa pointed out that Max and Ray were at the gate to the house.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place!!!" Tyson yelled as he ran towards Max and Ray.

"We heard rumors about you Tyson, did you really get beaten in a beybattle?" Max asked Tyson.

"Yes it's true… Dragoon is beyond repair…" Tyson said, looking down.

Kenny now having reached the rest of the group announced, "No need to worry about that Tyson, I'll just make you a new one. Dragoon itself was undamaged."

"Thanks Chief!" Tyson said, calling Kenny by his nickname.

"You said your entire blade except your bit beast was trashed? Don't you find that a bit odd?" Ray asked curiously.

"What do you mean, Ray?" Tyson said, his usual oblivious self.

"You know… you might be right Ray… maybe this Dark character may have still needed Tyson's Bit Beast!" Kenny said.

"But that doesn't make sense, if he wanted Tyson's Bit Beast then why didn't he take it when he won?" Max asked, trying to figure out Dark's intentions.

"Are you people really that oblivious?" A familiar voice rang out. They all looked around and saw Kai in a tree. Kai then leapt from the tree and landed in front of Tyson. "He didn't take your Bit Beast because he beat you too easily. There's no way you could have been fighting the way I know you can, otherwise you would have fared a bit better then that Tyson! He didn't take your Bit Beast because he wants to take it from you when he knows you're at your best, otherwise it wouldn't have been a proper win," Kai announced.

"You know, your probably right Kai…" Kenny said calmly.

"Tyson, you better get that new blade of yours ready soon so I can face you again. I need to know where you stand!" Kai said, furious that Tyson had lost so easily to this Dark.

A laughter then sounded out, as the sinister and cruel sounding voice of Dark was heard, "Oh, and you think you could fare any better Kai? Maybe you can see where Tyson stands by facing me!" They looked all around, trying to pin point the voice when they finally looked deep in the corner of the complex in the shadows and saw what looked like a person. The figure then stepped out of the corner and lowered his hood, a smug look on Dark's face.

"Don't do it Kai! You'll just get your blade trashed as well!" Tyson warned.

"Shut up! I accept your challenge Dark!" Kai said, ignoring Tyson.

"Excellent… actually, it would be too easy to just fight Kai alone, why don't the rest of you come at me at the same time?" Dark proposed.

"You dare insult me?! You will pay for your insolence!" Kai yelled, "You and me! One on One!"

"Aren't you the persistent one… well if you insist!" Dark said as he pulled out his launcher with Shadow Lord attached.

Kai then pulled out his own launcher and attached Dranzher to it.

"3…2…1… Let it Rip!" They both yelled as they pulled their ripcords.

"Go Dranzher!" Kai yelled.

"Go Shadow Lord!" Dark yelled.

Kai had launched his blade a bit higher and had aimed it perfectly. Shadow Lord landed on the ground and shortly after, Kai's blade came crashing down.

"Fire Arrow!" Kai yelled as Dranzher ignited in fire and hit the top of Shadow Lord.

"Impressive… I must admit I didn't expect that. But it's nowhere near enough! Shadow Lord, counter spin!" Shadow Lord started to slow down, and then actually ended up changing it's spin direction!

"What?!" Kai said in disbelief.

"How is that possible?! No blade can change spin direction mid battle!" Kenny said in disbelief.

"Believe it!" Dizzy, the Bit Beast living in Kenny's computer said as she recorded the fight with the lab top's camera.

Dranzher bounced off of Shadow Lord, but landed safely. Shadow Lord then rammed hard into Dranzher, not letting up or showing fatigue.

"You are a tough one, Kai. Much tougher then Tyson was. But I'm afraid that this must end!" Dark announced.

"This battle is still far from over!!!" Kai yelled out as he grabbed his cloak and dropped it to the ground as it made a loud thud since the cloak was weighted. "My power can destroy mountains! Not only that, but unlike Tyson I haven't taken any break whatsoever in my intense training! Dranzher! Flame Gig attack!!!" Kai yelled out, as fire burst out of the ground around Dranzher, the Fire Phoenix. The fire knocked back Shadow Lord hard, and this attack was just beginning. A crazed look was now in Kai's eyes, he was determined to prove himself this day by defeating Dark.

"Your attacks aren't straight forward like Tyson's were… that's why 10 percent power isn't enough for you like it was for Tyson. But let's see how your Flame Gig attack compares to Shadow Lord at 25 percent power!" Dark's black eyes then glowed a fiery red, and he drew a sword out of his cloak. Shadow Lord then emerged from the Beyblade, also a figure cloaked in black holding a sword. Shadow Lord's hood was down and it revealed a demonic skull. "Shadow Lord! Counter his Flame Gig with Criss-Cross Slash!" Dranzher charged in a fiery ball at Shadow Lord, and right when the blades were about to hit, Dark and Shadow Lord swung their swords together in a criss-cross pattern. There was then a huge blast of light as the two super powers collided.

"What happened?!" Kai yelled out, covering his eyes from the light. When the light finally dissipated, Kai's blade had stopped spinning but was still in one piece while Shadow Lord span in one place.

"No…way…" Kai said, hardly believing he had just lost like that.

"That's not possible! How is your blade still in one piece?!" Dark yelled, "Your a worthy adversary Kai… even though your blade stopped spinning after that attack, no blade has ever truly survived that attack like yours has. But keep in mind… that was still only 25 of my true power! Until we meet again… I hope you get strong enough to be a bit of a challenge come the World Tournament. Because I intend to claim what's rightfully mine!"

"Wait! Who are you, really? And where did you come from?!" Kai yelled out to Dark.

"Who am I? You will find out in due time. Where did I come from? Heh… ever hear of a man named Boris?" Dark had whispered his answer to Kai in his ear before leaping off and vanishing once again. Kai then fell to his knees upon hearing that name. The rest of the Blade Breakers came running towards Kai.

"What did he say to you Kai?!" Tyson yelled.

"It can't be… my grandfather… is back!" Kai said slowly……

**EPISODE 3: BROKEN MEMORIES**

"Dark… he mentioned Boris… and if Boris is around, then my grandfather Voltaire is probably behind all of this!" Kai said angrily.

"So that guy wants me to beat him again?!" Tyson said, now riled up.

"Is Dark a member of the Abbey? Kai, you've been in Russia recently, are you sure you haven't seen anyone like Dark before?" Kenny asked.

Kai got up, racking his memory, "I… don't know, there were lots of kids training like usual… I didn't see Boris or Voltaire during my entire visit though. Maybe they were working on a secret project…"

"Are you saying Dark might not be human?" Ray said, a bit shocked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Do you remember my grandfather's goal?" Kai said calmly.

"Yeah, he wanted to accumulate an army of Bit Beasts so that he could take over the world!" Max explained.

"That was one, but he needed something else before that could be achieved… he thought he had obtained these two things he needed but he was wrong. The ultimate Beyblade and the ultimate Blader," Kai explained more thoroughly.

"Wait, let me guess he thought that Black Dranzher was the ultimate Blade, and that Tala was the ultimate Blader right?" Tyson said, proud that he was able to piece things together.

"Yes. You see, there's something about Tala that you don't know about. He is otherwise known as… Cyber-Tala!" Kai exclaimed.

"So he's an android?" Kenny asked.

"Part android. Not completely. I wonder if this Dark character is pure android…" Kai pondered…

Meanwhile, back in Russia, Dark had arrived back at the Abby via a private plane. Boris walked up to Dark, with his goggles on.

"Welcome back, Dark! Voltaire has been waiting for you!" Boris said happily.

"Very well…" Dark said in a annoyed manner. He wasn't very fond of Boris. Dark then walked into Voltaire's office, "You requested to see me?"

"Yes… I want to know how your mission went," Voltaire said as he turned in his chair to face Dark. "Were you successful in defeating Tyson and Kai?"

"I can't believe your amateur Bladers couldn't defeat those two! I defeated Tyson at only 10 percent power and Kai at 25 percent power. There is no competition between me and any other Blader…" Dark said, in a bored way.

"It looks like I created you perfectly then! With you at my side, and now Dragoon and Dranzher, the world will be mine!" Voltaire said happily.

"I never said anything about obtaining Dragoon and Dranzher," Dark said calmly.

"What?! What do you mean! Those were my orders!" Voltaire said angrily.

"I don't have to obey every command of such an inferior being such as yourself. I will take them at the Tournament, when I know they are at their best," Dark said arrogantly.

"You dare speak to me in such a manner?! I created you! If it weren't for me then you would still be nothing!" Voltaire yelled.

"Think I care old man? You can't make someone completely obey you if they don't respect and fear you. And I certainly don't feel either. But don't take it personal, I feel that way about everyone," Dark continued his arrogant speech.

"Get out of my sight for now! I want you to train at 100 percent of your true power in your special training room. If you don't practice at 100 then your body won't be able to handle it for very long," Voltaire said, making up an excuse to get Dark away from him.

"Very well, THAT I will do, Blading is what I live for after all," Dark said as he left the room.

A few hours later, the announcement for the next Beyblade World Championship was announced globally on TV.

"This year we have decided to make it a 1 on 1 style type tournament. After watching the finals of last year, I realized that some of the matches were extremely close and could have gone either way! Especially during the final match between Kai and Tyson! So by having it a 1 on 1 Tournament, the Bladers can now fight at their full potential in a best of 3 match! I hope this creates some very exciting match ups!" Mr. Dickenson, the head of the BBA, announced. Who would compete in the World Tournament this year? The top Bladers from around the world couldn't wait to prove themselves and the chance at beating Tyson. Kai was especially excited at the chance of facing Tyson again, it was his life's work after all to defeat Tyson in battle. However, one person wasn't terribly excited about the upcoming tournament. The mysterious Blader known as Dark felt that things were just way too easy for him…….


	2. Chapter 4

**EPISODE 4: GENETICS**

"For the Prelims of the World Championships, two people from each designated Country will have a chance to play in the Finals. This year's World Tournament takes place in Russia! So train hard, and I hope to see many great Beybattles out there!" Mr. Dickenson concluded.

"I guess that means that we're going to have to split up again, Tyson…" Max said a few hours later as the four of them met again in front of Tyson's place.

"It's the only way we all have a chance of making the Finals," Ray said with a nod.

"I'm staying," Kai said suddenly, much to everyone's surprise.

"Kai…? I thought you would go back to Russia again?" Tyson said surprised.

"Not with my Grandfather running things again. I have a feeling he's the reason that the World Championship is in Russia again. Besides, here I still have a chance to face Tyson again, even if I have to face him in the Prelims," Kai explained, his arms crossed as usual.

"But what about me?!!!" A familiar voice rang out as a Blade whipped out of nowhere in front of them, "You didn't think you were going to leave out me and my Strata Dragoon, did you Tyson?!" Daichi said as he jumped out of a tree… but tripped on the branch as he jumped and landed flat on his face.

"Daichi! Who invited you anyways?!" Tyson said angrily as Daichi got back promptly to his feet, rubbing his head with his hand.

"I invited him Tyson," Ray explained, "Daichi, since Kai is going to be competing here, why don't you come with me to my home country? Of course, you'll have to compete with the likes of perhaps Lee and myself to get in, but you'll probably have a better chance."

Daichi picked up his Strata Dragoon and flashed it at Ray, "My Strata Dragoon can handle anything! I'll go with you, only so I don't have to be around Tyson's stench all the time! You guys should be glad you weren't on his team last time," He said, waving his free hand by his nose.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Tyson said angrily, as he grabbed Daichi.

"You know exactly what it means!" Daichi responded as they put their heads together, growling.

"That's enough you two!" Max said as he pulled the two apart, "Alright then, that settles it. I'll head back to America. Ray and Daichi will go to China, and Tyson and Kai will remain here. I hope we all make it to the Finals, it should be awesome!"

"Tyson! You better get serious, because as it stands, none of us have a chance at beating Dark. And he's probably after our Bit Beasts too. We're going to have to work harder than we have ever worked before if we're going to put up any sort of fight at this Tournament against him. That goes for all of you!" Kai said sternly, still bitter about his recent loss.

"Yeah…" Tyson said, looking down a bit, "That reminds me, I still need to get myself a new Blade."

"Chief told me that he was working on it as we speak, Tyson. That's why he's not here right now," Max reassured his friend.

"Thanks, Max. That's good to know."

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now then. We'll see you at the World Tournament!" Ray said as himself, Max and Daichi all went their separate ways.

"You better be there, Tyson, because I look forward to kicking your butt!" Daichi called out to Tyson before he left.

"In your dreams, runt!" Tyson said, smiling again.

Meanwhile, back in Russia, Dark had been called to Voltaire's office.

"I have a new Mission for you, Dark. You are truly all that I really need for the upcoming Championships, but I still would like another strong Blader to represent us, so as not to make us seem like a one man show. Do you remember Tala?" Voltaire said with a grin.

"Yes… he was one of the best at the Abbey, if not THE best, that I've seen," Dark admitted, remembering parts of his past.

"Well, before he was defeated by Tyson, we had given him cybernetic implants. However, Tyson somehow freed him from our programming during the battle, which caused his imminent defeat. Therefore, I'd like to re-program him. Your Mission is to locate and retrieve Tala and bring him back here, WITHOUT destroying his Blade. Other than that one condition, use whatever is necessary. You have your orders, now carry them out!" Voltaire demanded of his creation.

"I suppose. Not destroying his Blade presents me with a new challenge. It will make this easy victory a little more interesting at least," Dark smirked as he walked off…

Meanwhile, Tala was training on the frozen winter tundra of Russia. He had no idea of Voltaire's return, nor did he know of the mysterious Dark, but he did know about the upcoming Championship and he had every intention of being there. Suddenly he heard something in the distance that sounded like helicopter blades. He looked up and within moments he saw the helicopter appear above him. It then stopped and a dark Blade suddenly sprung from it, heading towards Tala. Tala was quick to react and jumped backwards. Then he saw a figure leap from the helicopter, despite it being over 20 feet in the air, and land easily on the ground, the dark Blade returning to his hand. The jump had caused Dark's hood to fall back, revealing his pale skin and dark eyes.

"Who are you?" Tala demanded of Dark.

"Come now, it's very impolite to ask for one's name before giving your own… you should mind your manners… Cyber-Tala!" Dark said with a grin.

Tala's eyes widened, "Very few people know of that name. Just who or what are you? Are you a Cyborg too? No Human could have handled that jump like you did.

"Cyborg? No… I am not machine in any way or form. I was sent here by Voltaire to bring you back for reprogramming," Dark said with a bit of a laugh.

"Voltaire?! You must be joking, why would I go back to him?!" Tala said, with a shocked expression on his face.

"Probably because you don't have a choice," Dark grinned as he reattached his Blade to his Launcher.

"Heh, do you really think you have a chance? I'll show you what true power is!" Tala said as he attached his Blade, Wolborg, to his Launcher.

"3…2…1…Let It Rip!" They both yelled as they pulled their Ripcords.

"Go, Wolborg!" Tala yelled.

"Go, Shadow Lord!" Dark yelled as the two blades landed near each other, onto the frozen plains.

"You're in my element, here! You don't stand a chance! I'll finish this quickly…" An evil look in his eye appeared as he shouted, "Novae Roe!" Wolborg appeared and ice shot around Shadow Lord. Suddenly ice encased Shadow Lord as Wolborg slammed through it, shattering the ice. White dust covered the battlefield, but Tala was fairly confident that he had just won, "Return to your Master and tell him that I decline his invitation."

Dark had remained calm during the entire thing, emotionless even, "You know, not destroying your Blade is a very difficult task. I don't see why Voltaire should care about someone as weak as you. Although, I admit, you're currently doing better than Tyson, but not as good as Kai," Dark's expressionless face turned to that of an evil grin.

"W-what?!" Tala said shocked as the dust settled and he saw that Shadow Lord wasn't there at all. His Wolborg was still spinning, but he had lost sight of his opponent.

Dark brought his cloak in close to himself and then flung it back. Suddenly Shadow Lord appeared out of nowhere, having been cloaked before, and slammed hard into Tala's blade. Wolborg bounced a few times, but managed to stay spinning.

"You say you defeated Tyson and Kai? You're just bluffing… I'll show you a new technique I've been working on! I was saving it for the Finals, so consider yourself privileged!" Tala said with a grin, as he spread his arms out wide, his blade starting to glow a pale blue.

"It won't work!" Dark said, throwing his cloak away from him which smashed through the ice as it hit the ground, weighted even more than Kai's, "Shadow Lord, 40 percent input, decreasing to 10 percent impact, do not destroy!" Shadow Lord appeared out of the Blade, it's cloak also missing, revealing a Skeletal figure covered in shadows with a sword hilt, Dark and Shadow Lord both moving their hands towards their hilts.

"Too late! You cannot hope to stand against this!" Tala said with a grin, "Wolborg! Tsurara Mai!" Icicles then shot out from the ground, traveling along the ground in a wide area towards Shadow Lord.

"Kage Mai!" Dark shouted, his eyes flashing red, as he moved with Shadow Lord at nearly untraceable speeds, weaving in and out as Shadow Lord burst through the icicles, and then slowed down at the last second before it struck Wolborg, sending Wolborg flying, where it landed on it's side, stopped.

"W-h-how did you…?" Tala said, absolutely shocked.

"You asked if I was a Cyborg. I am not. Rather, as you should know, Boris had worked on genetically enhancing and mutating Bit Beasts to create more powerful Artificial ones. Boris figured, if they could do it with Bit Beasts, they should be able to do it with Humans too. I was used in an experiment… I was genetically mutated to be the World's Ultimate Blader. Someone like you, an artifact of the past… you cannot even compare to me," Dark explained, "Now, to take you in… Shadow Illusion!" His eyes flashed red again as a dark light emerged from the still spinning Shadow Lord, blinding Tala within it.

"W-what's…going…on….." Tala said as his eyes slowly closed in unconsciousness.

Dark picked up his blade and stored it within his cloak. He then took out his radio, "Boris, this is Dark. Tala has been secured."

"Good work, Dark! I knew we could count on you! I'm bringing the Chopper in now," Boris replied through the radio.

As Dark watched the helicopter return, he just whispered to himself, "It's just all too easy for me….."


	3. Chapter 5

**EPISODE 5: MENTAL PREPARTION **

Tyson was working through his head every part of his match with Dark. The beybattle that haunted his nightmares as he saw his precious Blade that had won him the Championships last time getting shattered to pieces so easily. Dark had said that his mind was too clouded with pride… was that true? He guessed that he had been a bit overconfident in his abilities since he was the current Beyblade Champion. He wondered if Dark really was an Android… what a sad existence that must be. He remembered Zeo, who was an Android, and wondered what his old friend was doing now. He was waiting, a bit impatiently, for Kenny to come over with his new Blade. Kenny seemed pretty excited about it over the phone, saying he just needed to make a few minor adjustments before he came over. He wondered how the others were doing… and he wondered just what Dark was up to…

Kai was still furious about how he had lost so easily, despite all of his training. He knew he had to work harder than he had ever worked before if he was going to have a chance of beating Dark… and this time, he refused to lose to Tyson. He couldn't believe how someone as carefree as Tyson could manage to upstage him every time. He was not going to let that happen again. He looked at his Dranzher, smiling a bit. Dranzher had been with him through thick and thin… he had almost abandoned him once before, but he wasn't going to let that happen again. He felt that Dranzher certainly suited him… for like the phoenix, he would rise again!

Ray was on the plane, contemplating how he would play into all of this. Dark had targeted only Tyson and Kai out of the five of them… did Dark not consider them worthy enough? Or was it because they weren't part of his Mission? In that case, did Voltaire not consider them worthy enough? He let out a slightly audible chuckle. He guessed he would just have to prove to Voltaire that he was worthy of his attention. That Tyson and Kai weren't the only ones he should fear!

Daichi, who was sitting beside Ray, hadn't seen Dark fight yet. In fact, all the carefree Daichi was thinking of was all the great cuisine he'd get to eat once they arrived.

Max couldn't wait to see his mom again. A brilliant scientist that worked in America, he always enjoyed her company. Plus, he wondered if she and Emily could make him a better Blade to compete with at the upcoming World Championships. He saw Dark in action against Kai, and he knew he had to get better if he was going to make any sort of impact. He wondered who else would be at the Championships, and grinned happily in anticipation…

In Europe, the Majestics were looking forward to redeeming themselves after they lost to the Barthez Battalion during the preliminary rounds during the last Championship. They knew they were going to be going up against the newly named "Miguel's Battalion" again during the preliminaries. They lost last time since Barthez encouraged his team to cheat their way through. With Barthez fired, and after watching Miguel's team lose every match after they stopped cheating, they knew that they would have no trouble this year in making the Finals.

Julia and her twin brother Raul of F-Dynasty were disappointed after hearing that the next World Championships were going to be one on one, meaning that their ultimate teamwork strategy would not be able to apply this time. Still, they felt that they should still try to make it to the Finals again this year, thanks to the encouragement they got from their coach, Romero. They looked forward to the chance of proving themselves as solo Bladers as well as a powerful duo.

As Voltaire was making the final adjustments on Cyber-Tala, he smiled as he then awoke Tala from his slumber.

"Ah, Cyber-Tala… how are you feeling now?" Voltaire asked.

"Does not compute. I do not feel anything," Cyber-Tala said with no emotion on his face whatsoever.

"Perfect. It would seem the adjustments are complete. You are to compete at the upcoming World Championships, along with my other creation, Dark. You have no need for emotions or friends, Blading is what you live for. Do you understand?"

"Affirmative."

"Good, good! Boris, come in here!" Voltaire demanded.

Boris, who was wearing his goggles that looked like they could allow him to see in the dark, entered the lab, "You called?"

"Where has Dark gone off to?"

"I'm afraid he cannot be as easily controlled. He said he was going for a walk. I told him to stay, but he wouldn't listen," Boris said, a little nervous.

"…Very well. He will come back on his own, like the lost dog that he is," Voltaire said, not that impressed…

Back on the Tundra, Dark was walking aimlessly. Although he kept a cold exterior, rarely showing emotions, he was always fighting a deep inner battle. Thoughts of his past, before he was transformed into what he is, constantly haunted him. He pulled out his Shadow Lord and launched it, just to watch it spin. As he watched it, he questioned the reason for his existence. Voltaire always told him he existed only to Blade. Yet… he always felt so…

Suddenly, a Blade came out of nowhere and struck Shadow Lord hard, sending it flying, where it bounced a couple of times and stopped dead in its tracks. Dark looked surprised and turned to see who his assailant was.

"For someone who was created for the sole purpose of being the Ultimate Blader, you sure seem distracted. So distracted that you were pretty easy to defeat…" A man with blue hair and a mask covering his face, with white bands trailing behind him said.

"Just who are you?! You want a piece of me?!" Dark said dangerously, not used to being in this kind of situation.

"I'm known as Jin of the Gale… and I don't believe that will be necessary," Jin's Blade then returned to his hand, "I did a lot of research on you, once I heard you beat Tyson. I know all about your connection with Voltaire and the fact that you were genetically mutated. But you know how empty your existence has been… you are a powerful Blader, no doubt. Not many could compare with you. But without a purpose, you will never be able to grow stronger. Even if you win the World Championships, what then? What will you have to prove? You will be nothing more than Voltaire's tool. Maybe you should think more on that…" Jin then vanished in a torrent of leaves and wind, leaving Dark to ponder what had just happened.

"My reason… for existence… bah! What does that sorry excuse for a ninja know about me?!" Dark said angrily, as he picked up his Blade and started to head back to BIOVOLT headquarters…

As Jin watched Dark leave from a distance, Jin removed his mask, "Little brother… I look forward to seeing you grow even stronger," Hiro, Jin's true identity and Tyson's older brother said to himself…..


End file.
